IDF began taking control of the city, while government intermediaries negotiate for the hostages
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The spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Brigadier General Effie Defrin, confirmed that the Israeli army has begun the first steps of the ground invasion in Gaza City.
"Our forces already control the outskirts of the city", he stated in an official statement.
The operation is being carried out in parallel with the dispatch of around 60,000 draft letters (60,000), with another 20,000 (20,000) planned by the end of the month, in what constitutes one of the largest mobilizations of reservists since the beginning of the war.
Defrin also emphasized that the army is establishing humanitarian corridors so that Gazan civilians can evacuate safely and receive assistance and medical care.
PM Benjamin Netanyahu
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz are expected to approve on Thursday the plans to complete the conquest of Gaza City, the last major Hamas stronghold.
According to reports, Netanyahu ordered "shortening the deadlines to take control of the remaining terrorist positions and defeat Hamas".
The discussion is taking place at a time when Egypt and Qatar, mediators in the conflict, have presented a partial truce proposal.
The plan would include the release of ten Israeli hostages alive and a 60-day ceasefire.
Diplomatic sources indicated that the scheme "is very close to the framework that Israel had accepted a few weeks ago" and that the differences "can be solved within days".
Although Israel has not explicitly rejected the initiative, senior officials insist that the objective remains an agreement for the release of all captives.
Analysts estimate that the start of the offensive on Gaza City could pressure Hamas to accept a broader compromise.
In the United States, the special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, stated that the truce proposal had already been on the table weeks ago, but that Hamas delayed the negotiations.
"President Trump made it clear that he wasn't going to tolerate further delays, and that led to significant progress", he told Fox News. Witkoff added that the U.S. position is firm: the immediate return of the hostages and the end of the conflict.
In parallel, the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer, held a meeting in France with senior representatives from Qatar, in what is considered the first direct meeting between officials from both countries since Hamas's most recent response.
